Covid jabs for five to 11-year-olds in England will start next week, with NHS officials buying toys to make vaccination centres more welcoming.

       Until now, children in this age group have only been offered vaccines if they are in at risk categories that make them vulnerable to Covid.

       In February, the Government's advisers backed jabs being offered to all children aged five to 11. They said it was a "non-urgent offer" that should not disrupt other vaccination programmes, meaning it is only now that the jabs are being rolled out.

       On Monday night, Dr Emily Lawson, the national director of vaccine deployment, said rollout to this group would start next week, with efforts under way to make vaccine centres and pharmacies more welcoming to the youngest patients.

       Dr Lawson told MPs several sites had already made "brilliant" efforts to be more child-friendly.

       "In Derby, for example, they've designed a vaccination town, where the whole building has effectively been redesigned and painted to make it welcoming for children," she said. "Sites have purchased things like fidget toys for distractions."

       Dr Lawson said the system would give longer appointment times so families could discuss their decisions, with attempts to make sure that all visits are "as stress-free as possible".

       While many countries in Europe backed jabs for young children months ago, the recommendation by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation followed a long debate about the benefits of jabs for youngsters.

       "We recognise this is not going to be a quick vaccination of a cohort in a short amount of time," Dr Lawson told the Public Accounts Committee. "This is going to need to give people the chance to come forward when they're ready, which means these sites need to be prepared to vaccinate through through the spring."

       At the same hearing, health officials insisted Britain would maintain a "backbone of surveillance" to track Covid – but would not say who will be eligible for a test after free mass testing is axed on Friday.

       Ministers have repeatedly said tests will be retained for the most vulnerable, likely to include health workers, but have not been drawn on details, which are expected to be announced within days,

       Dame Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency, said it "has been able to put forward all of the public health views on what testing should be available in the future" but could not divulge who will be eligible.